West-Eastern Divan Orchestra receives British Academy’s highest honour

The ensemble founded by Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said becomes the first recipient from the performing arts to receive the Academy’s President’s Medal.

The West-Eastern Divan Orchestra has received the 2026 President’s Medal, the British Academy’s most prestigious award, recognising its musical achievements and its work promoting dialogue across political and cultural divides.

Daniel Barenboim and Mariam C. Said, Vice-President of the Barenboim-Said Foundation, accepted the award on the orchestra’s behalf at a ceremony in London on 14 October. Members of the ensemble performed Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2 in A minor.

Announcing the award on 15 October, the British Academy confirmed that this is the first time the medal has been awarded to a recipient in the performing arts.

Founded in 1999 by Barenboim and the late Palestinian-American scholar Edward Said, the orchestra brings together Israeli, Palestinian and other musicians from across the Middle East, alongside colleagues from Spain. Its shared musical work provides a setting for listening and exchange despite profound political differences.

“Our work today is more urgent than ever as we continue to emphasize our common humanity every time we come together to make music,” Barenboim said.

“This honour is a beautiful acknowledgment of our commitment to persevere with dialogue through music even in the most challenging of times.”

British Academy President Professor Susan J. Smith praised the ensemble’s sustained commitment to mutual understanding.

“For more than a quarter of a century, the Orchestra has thereby created space for meaningful dialogue and mutual recognition, notwithstanding deep-rooted conflict and scarce common ground,” she said.

Mariam C. Said reflected on the award’s significance for her late husband and the project he helped establish.

“London always felt like a second home to my late husband Edward, and he would have been proud to know that the legacy of his partnership with Maestro Barenboim through the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra is being recognized in this way.”

The British Academy is the UK’s national academy for the humanities and social sciences. Established in 2010, its President’s Medal recognises work bringing these subjects to wider audiences. Previous recipients include Margaret Atwood, Elif Shafak and BBC Radio 4’s In Our Time.